History Characters / Drakengard

* TheHero: A more traditional one, when compared to Caim.

* StraightGay: Subverted; Yaha seems to be into him but Urick doesn't see him as anything more than a friend.

* CoolPlane: [[spoiler:Clearing the BrutalBonusLevel gives you a skin that turns Angelus into an ''Su-47'' as a ShoutOut to ''VideoGame/AceCombat''.]]

** ''VideoGame/NierReincarnation'' reinforces the idea from ''1.3'' and ''3'' that a preeexisting wrath or hatred of humanity makes you a better vector for the disease or a variation of it, as one EX Story takes place during the aforementioned war against Legion and depicts a human infected with WCS (Yuzuki) transforming into a Red Eye upon reaching his RageBreakingPoint. Right before his transformation is complete, he hears a voice in his head...

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Downplayed in ''Drakengard 1.3'', where she's pretty similar to her game counterpart, but is one of the few characters to not be outright ''worse'' in this timeline. Her [[EveryoneHasStandards concern over Caim's frighteningly over-the-top bloodlust]] is given more focus, as [[CuriousQualmsOfConscience she feels responsible]] for his deteriorating sanity, having fed him her draconic blood, giving him superhuman strength at the cost of gradually robbing him of his humanity. When an equally insane Furiae charges at the two with her own dragon, Angelus tries to pivot away from her, knowing that Caim wouldn't hesitate to kill his own sister at this point but not wanting to him to commit such a terrible act.

** To the Legion from ''Nier'''s backstory, who were created in part thanks to the Watchers' influence and share many traits with them (wanting to destroy mankind, producing the same eerie sounds of bells, seemingly looking like blank white humanoids by default), but they were never really visually depicted (except briefly in ''VideoGame/NierReincarnation''), and the Drama CD mentions a Legion unit that's a ''[[BigCreepyCrawlies 30 meter tall multi-legged insectoid]]'', so anything goes at this point.

** ''Drakengard 3'''s external materials reveal that the Cult of the Watchers was formed by Brother One after that game's Ending A (which leads to ''Drakengard 1.3'') and the novel-only Ending E (which leads to the original ''Drakengard 1''), but power struggles within the Cult lead to the first mass spreading of Red Eye Disease and ultimately to the creation of the Empire. In ''Drakengard 1.3'', the Empire is seemingly defeated by the combined forces of the Union Army and dragons, but this was all a part of a ploy by the black dragon to spread Red Eye Disease among ''dragons'', so that they may unite to destroy the world. Angelus remarks that the disease was "designed" to lead to this exact outcome, and this timeline sees humanity's [[DownerEnding most crushing and one-sided defeat yet]].

** In the backstory to ''Nier'', the death of the Grotesquerie Queen lead to the spreading of White Chlorination Syndrome, a disease which drives people to madness and compels them to destroy the world; those who manage to disobey the order are instead simply killed and turned into pillars of salt (the guidebook explains that this is similar to the pact system of ''Drakengard'' albeit way more [[AnOfferYouCantRefuse one-sided]]). This new army was dubbed Legion and was led by particularly powerful and lucid variants known as "Red Eye". It's implied that upon dying, the corpses of Red Eye turn into Seeds of Resurrection which can create new Red Eye units by putting sacrifices inside.
** In ''Nier Automata'', the hostile machine lifeforms have glowing red eyes, indicative of their objective to "destroy their enemies at all costs" which was programmed into them by their alien creators. This trait can also infect manmade androids in what is known as "Logic Virus", turning them into red-eyed berserkers. WordOfGod confirms that this is connected to the aforementioned Red Eye Disease somehow, but the game doesn't touch on the subject.

-->''"So sweet. So sweet... the cute little children. No need to worry. [[WouldHurtAChild I will take care of you]].... so sweet."''

-->''"Where are my children?!"''

* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: In the game, Manah formed and lead the Empire largely by herself and the higher powers guiding her. In ''Drakengard 1.3'', Manah is taken by the Cult of the Watchers who believe her to be a reincarnation of the cult's founder ([[VideoGame/Drakengard3 One]]), and seems to be more of a status symbol while the actual leadership was done by adults.

* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: [[spoiler:Her OneWingedAngel form in the A Ending path of ''Drakengard 1''.]]

* SlasherSmile: If he's not frowning or grinding his teeth in fury, he's probably sporting one of these. In the sequel, Manah has a nervous breakdown just by seeing it. Though by far his most famous one is [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/gcbk/images/f/ff/Caim_03.png/revision/latest?cb=20180102045833 this portrait]] in the sequel.

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Watch Ending A if you don't believe it. [[spoiler:The man who didn't cry even for his sister sheds tears for Angelus as she becomes the new Seal.]]

[[folder:The Watchers ('''UNMARKED SPOILERS''')]]

** To the Legion from ''Nier'''s backstory, who were created in part thanks to the Watchers' influence and share many traits with them (wanting to destroy mankind, producing the same eerie sounds of bells, seemingly looking like blank white humanoids by default), but they were never really visually depicted, and the Drama CD mentions a Legion unit that's a ''[[BigCreepyCrawlies 30 meter tall multi-legged insectoid]]'', so anything goes at this point.

* UnexpectedGameplayChange: Somewhat infamously, the TrueFinalBoss fight against the Grotesquerie Queen in the first game plays completely differently than anything else in the game with little to no warning or instructions. It's essentially a rhythm game / SimonSaysMiniGame where she "sings" black or white shockwaves towards you which you have to deflect by firing your own attacks in the corresponding color, which is easier said than done. This would later become a series tradition and come back with new twists in ''VideoGame/Drakengard3'' and ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV''.

[[folder:"God" ('''UNMARKED SPOILERS''')]]

** Very little about it is known for certain, and what little ''is'' known differs between translations of the games, such as it being referred to in the plural in some instances and/or conflated with the Watchers altogether. Officially, it seems to be a singular entity that is separate from the Watchers seen on-screen although the exact nature of its connection to them is unknown (their Japanese name suggests that they are its "angels", but there are also hints that it may belong to a similar group itself or is possibly even just an especially powerful Watcher). It doesn't help that the Watchers themselves are equally as mysterious and seldom alluded to in official materials.

* IronicName: In the ''Literature/ArsGoetia'', Caim(alternatively Camio) is the name of a demon who is regarded as a 'good disputer', who is 'gives men the understanding of the voices of birds, bullocks, dogs, and other creatures, and of the noise of the waters too, and gives true answers concerning things to come'. Due to being a mute from the first half of Chapter 1 onward, Drakengard's Caim is... none of these things. In any capacity.

* IronicName: In the ''Literature/Ars Goetia'', Caim(alternatively Camio) is the name of a demon who is regarded as a 'good disputer', who is 'gives men the understanding of the voices of birds, bullocks, dogs, and other creatures, and of the noise of the waters too, and gives true answers concerning things to come'. Due to being a mute from the first half of Chapter 1 onward, Drakengard's Caim is... none of these things. In any capacity.

* TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: Unusual amongst the first game's cast in that she has ''two'' pact partners instead of one.

* TheLastOfTheseIsNotLikeTheOthers: He's the only playable character to be a standard pact-partner.

* AdaptationalAttractiveness: Not that he was ever particularly unattractive, but his design in the ''Lord of Vermilion'' crossover makes him more of a {{Hunk}} with a form-fitting low-cut shirt and more kempt hair.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: In ''Drakengard 2'', being mentally 24 but physiologically 6 is [[AllThereInTheManual apparently]] a source of frustration for Seere, since he has not gone through puberty and is permanently sexually immature despite having an adult-level understanding of the concept.

* OmnicidalManiac: Its influence is felt not only its native world and its surrounding alternate dimensions but different universes altogether should a Seed of Resurrection somehow end up there, as seen in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' where [[VideoGame/NierAutomata the Terminals]] get their hands on one and are reborn as a Grotesquerie Queen-esque abomination dubbed "Her Inflorescence" (which has implicitly ''very'' strong ties to God itself, and is outright called "God in Full Bloom" in Japanese, but the full extent of their connection is unclear). This potentially makes it a Class ''Z'' [[ApocalypseHow apocalyptic threat.]]

** ''Drakengard 3'''s exeternal materials reveal that the Cult of the Watchers was formed by Brother One after that game's Ending A (which leads to ''Drakengard 1.3'') and the novel-only Ending E (which leads to the original ''Drakengard 1''), but power struggles within the Cult lead to the first mass spreading of Red Eye Disease and ultimately to the creation of the Empire. In ''Drakengard 1.3'', the Empire is seemingly defeated by the combined forces of the Union Army and dragons, but this was all a part of a ploy by the black dragon to spread Red Eye Disease among ''dragons'', so that they may unite to destroy the world. Angelus remarks that the disease was "designed" to lead to this exact outcome, and this timeline sees humanity's [[DownerEnding most crushing and one-sided defeat yet]].

** Arioch's crossover card in ''VideoGame/LordOfVermilion'' depicts her laying on top of what seems to be a pile of statue-esque, bloody, featureless giant babies, which could be a reference to her death at the hands of the Watchers (though it could also just be alluding to her [[EatsBabies infamous proclivity]]).

* AnythingThatMoves: It's implied in ''Drakengard 2'' supplementary materials that he was [[MayDecemberRomance one of Yaha's many sexual partners]], while a developer interview also mentions that he's a womanizer, meaning Verdelet plays for both teams and is pretty flexible about age.

''Fatal Crimson'' reveals that he also has some past with Male One.

* GreaterScopeVillain: He's the reason that [[spoiler:Caim and Furiae's parents are dead and their kingdom is in ruins and is the reason Furiae manages to get captured by the Empire. He also seems to have had a rivalry with Brother One]].

* AdaptationalBackstoryChange: In the ''Drakengard 1.3'' timeline, Seere was taken alongside Manah to become the Cult of the Watchers' priests, and both are held in more-or-less equal regard. Seere, for his part, hates this arrangement as he has no interest in the Cult of the Watchers' beliefs (and feels alienated by them as he is the only member without [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]]), and it took his mother's attention away from just himself to include Manah as well, who up until this point was abused and negleted.

* RedEyesTakeWarning: Its most recurring "curse" which is responsible for much of the conflict in each of the games is a form of MassHypnosis which turns its victims' eyes red and transforms them into mindless killing machines whose only goal is mass destruction: